Rehabilitation Therapy
and Post Acute Care
State-of-the-art rehabilitation in
Town Square Rehab
Settings that mimic
real-life environments
One-on-one Rehabilitation:
Physical Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Speech Therapy
Hometown Living At Its Best 29
to increase his proficiency and skill. Following Gay
Jewelers acceptance into the American Gem Society in
1986, Earl completed all the required coursework and
study to become a Registered Jeweler.
As Earl devoted his life to the family business,
Kathy returned to the store to help out from time to
time. “I was free labor,” she said with a smile. As she
helped her husband, it surprised her that the marketing
side of the business was something she really enjoyed.
Kathy left teaching and went back to school to take a
marketing and visual merchandising diploma program
at Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia. With both
Kathy and Earl at the helm, Alby and Glenrose retired in
1994. In October 1995, the Butlers moved the store to
its current location in the Palmer Place Shopping Center
and changed the name to K E Butler and Company
Jewelers to make the transition complete. They continue
to serve our community with the same values and
commitment to service that established Gay Jewelers as
a bedrock in this community.
In October 2015, the Butler’s son Mark returned
home to join the family business. “Mark’s future goal
is to become owner and continue the staff practice
of offering exemplary customer service and quality
diamonds and fine jewelry to our community for another
60 years and beyond.” (The Butler’s daughter, Joni Ford,
lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband Russ).
Isaiah Gibson, a 2017 graduate of VHS, came to K E
Butler Jewelry in 2017. Much like Earl’s apprenticeship
with Mr. Gay all those many years ago, Isaiah hones
his skills in jewelry and watch repair and with the laser
welder, gas torch, and designing in CAD under Earl’s
tutelage. Isaiah plans to attend school in Texas to work
toward a degree in jewelry design in the fall.
Many speak of legacy as something only the famous
leave behind. But a legacy is more than someone’s
fortune or even a person’s influence on a certain period
of time. From the beginning, we were commissioned
with a particular task–a job, if you will. When we
demonstrate commitment and enjoyment in our work,
whether as garden tenders, jewelers, or homemakers, we
leave a legacy more valuable than money or fame. Such
were my thoughts as I read the caption for a picture
on the store’s website of Earl and Kathy’s son Mark as
a young child with a magnifier headset strapped to his
forehead, a steel ring mandrel in his right hand, and
mallet in his left. The caption read: “In the shop with
dad.”
There are few family businesses anymore. But the
legacy passed on by Alby Gay and his wife Glenrose
is about more than passing on a jewelry store. The
legacy Earl and Kathy uphold is a legacy of honor and
trust. While I still may not know a diamond from a
cubic zirconia, I know Earl and Kathy Butler. And that’s
enough to be sure that whether I like my diamonds
canary yellow or with a richer red hue (a.k.a. a fancy),
the price I pay will always match my idea of beauty.
TCM
Award Winning
912.403.3400 | Fax 912.537.7196
119 Meadows Parkway West
Vidalia
Meadowsparkhealth.org
/Meadowsparkhealth.org